درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Purpose - At the local level, the role of rural management in achieving optimal rural planning and development goals is significant. There are several approaches to rural management, one of which is good rural governance. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to evaluate the performance of new rural management with an emphasis on good governance indicators for the villages in the Central District of Karaj County. Design/methodology/approach - Quantitative approach was used in conducting this research. The statistical population of the study includes 7 villages. 145 households were sequentially determined based on random sampling and using the modified Cochran's formula. SPSS software and the FARAS model were utilized to analyze the data. Findings - The results showed that the situation of governance indicators in the studied villages is lower than average. In addition, the results of the correlation between the indicators of good rural governance showed that the management system is the desired and subject to development in all indicators of good rural governance from the point of view of the villagers. Also, the ranking of the indicators of good governance using the FARAS model substantiated that the social participation index has the highest rank from the experts’ point of view. Research limitations/implications - The outbreak of coronavirus interfered with the process of data collection and information in the studied villages. This impeded the process of completing the research. In this regard, to reduce the negative impact of this restriction, interviews and completing questionnaires were conducted through the Internet. Practical implications - Activities should be taken through the interaction of non-governmental organizations, governmental and public organizations, and the private sector, removing existing obstacles, and financial and executive constraints for modern rural management in the villages of the Central District. Originality/value: The study is conducted by the mentioned researchers and in accordance with the official rules and procedures, and all dissertations, articles, books, etc. were referred to accordingly. The originality of the present study is in applying the FARAS fuzzy model to the studied villages in the Central District of Karaj County.

Purpose- Social sustainability, especially in rural areas, is one of the most important goals of policymakers, planners and managers. However, social sustainability in local communities, such as villages, can be challenged through environmental instabilities. Accordingly, the purpose of this study is to analyze the tensions and social dangers in rural areas of Neyshabur, one of the provinces of Iran. Design/methodology/approach- In order to measure the relationship between the independent variable of drought and the dependent variable of social tension, 24 variables were identified in the context of drought, existing tensions and social damage caused by water scarcity in the study area. The required information was collected from documentary studies and also through interviews and questionnaires. One-sample t-test, Pearson correlation, single-variable regression, and VIKOR model were used to analyze the data. Findings- The results show that there is a relationship between water deficit deduced from drought and 22 social unsustainability variables. Based on the results of the regression test and the amount of obtained beta, respectively, the greatest effects of water shortages deduced from drought was on intensifying rural poverty (0.932), increasing living expenses (0.931), and the destruction of small crop and small cultivation (0.924). Also, the results of the VIKOR model showed that there is a difference between the studied villages in terms of the severity of social tensions. Originality/value- This study has been promising to focus on the effects of drought and water scarcity as an environmental unsustainability in shaping and exacerbating tensions and social injuries. Therefore, the results of this study can be effective in recognizing the social impacts of environmental changes in geographical areas and countries facing environmental changes.

Purpose- The main purpose of this study was to identify the drivers responsible for instability of livelihood and to investigate the extent and manner of their influences on each other and on the future livelihood status of villagers in Marivan County. Design/methodology/approach - Applying a descriptive-analytical method and Delphi Technique, the present applied research identifies first, the most important drivers of the current situation of livelihood instability and their eliminating impact on the future livelihood of the deprived villagers in Marivan County. Moreover, applying cross-impact method in Mick Mac software, it analyzes the effect and direct influence of these drivers on each other. Findings- The most important drivers of livelihood instability of rural people in the county are a total of 36 drivers in five categories as follows: Economic failures with the influence (346) and dependence (371), social failures with the influence (290) and dependence (315), environmental-physical failures with the influence (172) and dependence (176), institutional-managerial failures with the influence (351) and dependence (287) and trans-regional failures with the influence (23) and dependence (12). Among them the institutional-managerial failures have the most direct influence (315) and the economic failures have the most direct dependence (371) on the other drivers. The regulatory and two-dimensional drivers and their situation on the graph shows the continuing instability of the villagers’ livelihood in future, thus, this will increase deserted villages and wasted water and soil resources in the region. Research Limitations/Implications- The dispersion of a large number of villages, their small sizes in addition to their lack of accessibility, and the lack of cooperation of some experts to conduct interviews were among the main limitations of the present study. Practical implications - It is suggested to teach villagers about the basic principles of entrepreneurship and taking risks and identifying opportunities. In this regard, making use of entrepreneurial villagers with successful experiences and non-governmental organizations in the region can be effective. Ultimately, plans and programs should be designed and implemented for the regulatory drivers such as fatalism, lack of crisis management policies, recognizing rural development as equal to the traditional agriculture development. Originality/Value- The outcome of this study can be an introduction for subsequent studies for formulating scenarios, executive strategies, policies and planning in order to move towards sustainable livelihoods and the realization of a favorable livelihood for the villagers.

P urpose- Unproductive activities refer to economic activities which do not have a positive effect on GDP, but have high profit and returns, which can eliminate productive activities. This is a phenomenon that has occurred in Iran in the last three decades. The aim of the present study is to analyze the factors causing and spreading unproductive activities using Fumanat area as the context. Design/methodology/approach- The study area is Fumanat, one of the historical regions of Gilan. The type of research is qualitative. In order to collect the required data and information, we conducted the various steps: First, using secondary data, the study illustrated changes in the share of employment in the economic sectors of the region, changes in the area of agricultural land use, as well as changes in the level of built land use. Second, conducting interviews with different business owners of each household, the common activities of households were studied to determine the evolution of productive activities in the sample villages. The common activities of households and among them unproductive activities were identified by inductive method. In order to understand the factors affecting the creation and expansion of unproductive activities, the qualitative approach of grounded theory was used. Findings- The study indicates that in the mountain zone, 39.1 percent of jobs, in the foothill zone, 32.3 percent of jobs, in the plain zone, 41.9 percent of jobs and in the coastal zone, 30.2 percent of jobs, can be categorized as unproductive activities. The existence of uncertainty, lack of support for productive activities, the property rights issue, inadequate privatization and dysfunctional institution system affect the expansion of unproductive activities in the region. Originality/value- Various studies have examined productive and unproductive sides in economic endeavors, most of which considered them with a macro point of view. The present study tries to investigate the contextually of the factors underlying these changes in a rural space and community.

Purpose- Since the development of entrepreneurial activities in rural areas reduces many initial costs, and because the agricultural production is centered in rural areas, agricultural graduates can make closer and easier relationships with beneficiaries. Therefore, the current research was conducted aimed at analyzing the rural entrepreneurial intentions of agricultural students of Hamadan University based on the extended theory of planned behavior. Design/methodology/implications- The population of the study were all senior agricultural students of Bu Ali Sina University, Hamadan (N = 420). The simple random sampling method and Krejcie and Morgan table were used respectively to sample the research population and to determine the sample size (n = 200). A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts. To verify the reliability of the research tool, a pilot study and the calculation of the ordinal theta coefficient were also conducted. Findings- The results of the confirmatory factor analysis showed that the indicators used to measure the latent attributes studied in this research are consistent with the factor structure and the theoretical basis of the research. The results showed that three main components of TPB (attitude, perceived behavioral control and social norms) had a positive and significant effect on rural entrepreneurial intentions of students, which predicts 51% of the variance of rural entrepreneurial intentions. In addition, adding six entrepreneurial skills to the model, the predictive power of TPB increased by 19%. Research limitations/implications- One of the most important limitations was the accurate assessment of the entrepreneurial skills. Practical implications- Considering the interaction of motivational and skill components, it can be inferred that students’ confidence in their entrepreneurial abilities and skills in order to launch and manage a new business gives them the power to have creative intentions and decisions to start a new activity. Originality/value- This study contributed to integrate skills and behavioral components for improving the rural entrepreneurial intentions of agricultural students. The results contribute to enriching the literature on rural entrepreneurial intention. This study documents the entrepreneurial intention and skills as important precursors to students’ decision to create new agricultural business.

Purpose - The rural-urban integration refers to an optimal combination of natural, economic, social, and spatial factors. The scale of this integration depends on the extent to which urban and rural systems (economic, social, and environmental) influence, interconnect, complement, and share benefits. The main goal of this study is the environmental analysis of villages in the periphery of Farsan city based on the rural-urban relationship. Design/methodology/approach- This is an applied study that uses a descriptive-analytical method. Data were collected using a questionnaire. The statistical population of the study consists of the four villages in Farsan county with a population of over one thousand people. Together, these four villages are home to about 4285 households (14972 people) from which a sample of n=375 was selected using Cochran's formula. Finding - The results of the research based on the one-sample t-test indicate an environmental relationship between Farsan county and its nearby villages. The environmental indicators such as noise pollution and non-expansion of green space, the change of cultivation pattern, the intensified land abuse and brokerage, the reduced share of water in agriculture, and the limited environmental knowledge of villagers suggested adverse effects whereas other variables manifested the positive effects of the connection with Farsan on improving the environment of the nearby villages. The results of regression analysis showed that the environmental relationship of Farsan with its surrounding villages explained 17% of study indices (environmental health, land-use change, water and soil resources, knowledge and importance of environmental issues) and the remaining 83% was explained by other factors not addressed in this study. Research limitations/implications - The main limitation of the study was the scant literature on the environmental effects of the urban-rural relationship. Practical implications - Implementing a suitable cultivation model for agricultural products, expanding new irrigation systems, maintaining and reviving orchards, and raising awareness of environmental issues among villagers should be put on the agenda. Originality/value - Investigating environmental effects of the urban-rural relationship as a way of ensuring sustainable rural settlement and environmental protection in the study area.